A randomized controlled trial of a close monitoring program for minor depression and distress.

Background: Minor depression is almost twice as common in primary care (PC) as major depression. Despite the high prevalence, few evidence-based algorithms exist for managing patients with minor depression or patients presenting solely with distress.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to test the effectiveness of a telephone-based close monitoring program to manage PC patients with minor depression or distress.

Complementary dimerization of microtubule-associated tau protein: Implications for microtubule bundling and tau-mediated pathogenesis.

Tau is an intrinsically unstructured microtubule (MT)-associated protein capable of binding to and organizing MTs into evenly spaced parallel assemblies known as "MT bundles." How tau achieves MT bundling is enigmatic because each tau molecule possesses only one MT-binding region. To dissect this complex behavior, we have used a surface forces apparatus to measure the interaction forces of the six CNS tau isoforms when bound to mica substrates in vitro.

Kinesin and dynein-dynactin at intersecting microtubules: motor density affects dynein function.

Kinesin and cytoplasmic dynein are microtubule-based motor proteins that actively transport material throughout the cell. Microtubules can intersect at a variety of angles both near the nucleus and at the cell periphery, and the behavior of molecular motors at these intersections has implications for long-range transport efficiency and accuracy. To test motor function at microtubule intersections, crossovers were arranged in vitro using flow to orient successive layers of filaments.

Cargo transport: molecular motors navigate a complex cytoskeleton.

Intracellular cargo transport requires microtubule-based motors, kinesin and cytoplasmic dynein, and the actin-based myosin motors to maneuver through the challenges presented by the filamentous meshwork that comprises the cytoskeleton. Recent in vitro single molecule biophysical studies have begun to explore this process by characterizing what occurs as these tiny molecular motors happen upon an intersection between two cytoskeletal filaments. These studies, in combination with in vivo work, define the mechanism by which molecular motors exchange cargo while traveling between filamentous tracks and deliver it to its destination when going from the cell center to the periphery and back again.

Differential regulation of dynein and kinesin motor proteins by tau.

Dynein and kinesin motor proteins transport cellular cargoes toward opposite ends of microtubule tracks. In neurons, microtubules are abundantly decorated with microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) such as tau. Motor proteins thus encounter MAPs frequently along their path.

A meta-analysis of performance response under thermal stressors.

Objective: Quantify the effect of thermal stressors on human performance.

Background: Most reviews of the effect of environmental stressors on human performance are qualitative. A quantitative review provides a stronger aid in advancing theory and practice.

Differences in clinical manifestations among Cryptosporidium species and subtypes in HIV-infected persons.

We performed a cross-sectional study to determine the epidemiology of Cryptosporidium in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected persons at 3 diagnostic levels: microscopy, genotypes of Cryptosporidium, and subtype families of C. hominis and C. parvum.

Huntingtin facilitates dynein/dynactin-mediated vesicle transport.

Cytoplasmic dynein is a multisubunit microtubule motor complex that, together with its activator, dynactin, drives vesicular cargo toward the minus ends of microtubules. Huntingtin (Htt) is a vesicle-associated protein found in both neuronal and nonneuronal cells that is thought to be involved in vesicular transport. In this study, we demonstrate through yeast two-hybrid and affinity chromatography assays that Htt and dynein intermediate chain interact directly; endogenous Htt and dynein co-immunoprecipitate from mouse brain cytosol.

Memory for facial expressions: the power of a smile.

Faces with expressions (happy, surprise, anger, fear) were presented at study. Memory for facial expressions was tested by presenting the same faces with neutral expressions and asking participants to determine the expression that had been displayed at study. In three experiments, happy expressions were remembered better than other expressions.

Processive bidirectional motion of dynein-dynactin complexes in vitro.

Cytoplasmic dynein is the primary molecular motor responsible for transport of vesicles, organelles, proteins and RNA cargoes from the periphery of the cell towards the nucleus along the microtubule cytoskeleton of eukaryotic cells. Dynactin, a large multi-subunit activator of dynein, docks cargo to the motor and may enhance dynein processivity. Here, we show that individual fluorescently labelled dynein-dynactin complexes exhibit bidirectional and processive motility towards both the plus and minus ends of microtubules.

Screening, assessment, and management of depression in VA primary care clinics. The Behavioral Health Laboratory.

Objectives: The purpose of this project was to assess the utility and feasibility of a telephone-based systematic clinical assessment service, the Behavioral Health Laboratory (BHL), in the context of primary care. The BHL is a clinical service that provides primary care providers with an assessment and a summary of mental health and substance abuse (MH/SA) symptoms and provides treatment decision support, including triage to specialty MH/SA services. The BHL was implemented to assist in the evaluation of patients who screened positively for depression at an annual clinical appointment or who were identified through routine care.

Genome-wide analysis of sex-enriched gene expression during C. elegans larval development.

Sex determination in C. elegans is controlled by the TRA-1 zinc finger protein, a Ci/GLI homolog that promotes female cell fates throughout the body. The regulatory hierarchy that controls TRA-1 is well established, but the downstream effectors that establish sexual dimorphism during larval development remain largely unknown.

The DM domain protein MAB-3 promotes sex-specific neurogenesis in C. elegans by regulating bHLH proteins.

Sexual dimorphism in the nervous system is required for sexual behavior and reproduction in many metazoan species. However, little is known of how sex determination pathways impose sex specificity on nervous system development. In C.

Vaccine INDs: review of clinical holds.

A sponsor developing a vaccine or related product for clinical study in the U.S. must submit an Investigational New Drug Application (IND) to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Tau induces cooperative Taxol binding to microtubules.

Taxol and tau are two ligands that stabilize the microtubule (MT) lattice. Taxol is an anti-mitotic drug that binds beta tubulin in the MT interior. Tau is a MT-associated protein that binds both alpha and beta tubulin on the MT exterior.

Disease management for depression and at-risk drinking via telephone in an older population of veterans.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore the efficacy in a primary care setting of a telephone-based disease management program for the acute management of depression and/or at-risk drinking.

Materials And Methods: Veterans (N= 97) with depression and/or at-risk drinking were identified by systematic screening and assessment. Eligible subjects received either telephone disease management (TDM) program or usual care based on random assignment of their clinician.

Polycomb group regulation of Hox gene expression in C. elegans.

Polycomb group (PcG) chromatin proteins regulate homeotic genes in both animals and plants. In Drosophila and vertebrates, PcG proteins form complexes and maintain early patterns of Hox gene repression, ensuring fidelity of developmental patterning. PcG proteins in C.

Mobility of taxol in microtubule bundles.

Mobility of taxol inside microtubules was investigated using fluorescence recovery after photobleaching on flow-aligned bundles. Bundles were made of microtubules with either GMPCPP or GTP at the exchangeable site on the tubulin dimer. Recovery times were sensitive to bundle thickness and packing, indicating that taxol molecules are able to move laterally through the bundle.

Mutational analysis of residue roles in AraC function.

The previously isolated hemiplegic, induction-negative, repression-positive mutants, H80R and Y82C, were found to be defective in the binding of arabinose. Randomization of other residues close to arabinose in the three-dimensional structure of AraC or that make strong interactions with arabinose yielded induction-negative, repression-positive mutants. The induction and repression properties of mutants obtained by randomizing individual residues of the N-terminal arm of AraC allowed identification of the domain with which that residue very likely makes its predominant interactions.

Differences in the use of a school mental health program in secondary schools.

Objective: To examine the use of a school-based mental health program that works to prevent drug and alcohol problems and promote student mental health.

Methods: Students' presenting concerns, services used, service format and people to whom students were referred for services were investigated. Student use among schools was compared using chi-square analyses.

Peritoneal lesions in guinea pigs treated with hormones.

Foci of peritoneal fibrosis frequently occur with ovarian neoplasms, especially those of epithelial type, usually in association with foci of metastatic tumor or implants. However, in the absence of the latter, the presence of fibrosis cannot be clearly explained. To find an explanation for this phenomenon, we investigated the development of hormone-dependent peritoneal changes in guinea pigs.

Magical beliefs and rituals in young children.

Thirty-one children were administered a structured interview that assessed their beliefs about magic, tricks and wishes. Children were also presented with demonstrations of magic tricks/illusions, and asked to offer explanations as to how they worked. Parents completed the Childhood Routines Inventory (CRI), a 19-item parent report measure that assesses children's rituals, habits and sensory-perceptual experiences that we have termed "compulsive-like" behavior.

The C. elegans even-skipped homologue, vab-7, specifies DB motoneurone identity and axon trajectory.

Locomotory activity is defined by the specification of motoneurone subtypes. In the nematode, C. elegans, DA and DB motoneurones innervate dorsal muscles and function to induce movement in the backwards or forwards direction, respectively.